Common Sense Note

Parents need to know that The Expendables 3 is the third movie in Sylvester Stallone's over-the-top action franchise. The first two were full of bloody, gory violence; while this one still has wall-to-wall shooting, stabbing, fighting, chasing, and explosions, it feels more cartoonish and is far less gruesome (hence the switch to PG-13 from the earlier installments' R). Language is still strong, with one "f--k," plus "s--t," "a--hole," "p---y," and others. In the other movies, one character was shown to be a drug addict and an alcoholic; this time around, he's shown drinking from a flask in one or two brief scenes, as if falling off the wagon. Characters drink socially in other scenes, and some smoke cigars. There's brief innuendo, some of it centered around mixed martial arts fighter Ronda Rousey, who's sometimes shown in revealing outfits. Teen fans of the first two films will want to see this one for sure, but beware of a distinct drop in quality.

Sexual Content

One of the characters is a female mixed martial arts fighter, and she's briefly shown in revealing outfits. Brief moments of innuendo.

Violence

Far less blood and gore than the first two installments, but there's still wall-to-wall shooting (with everything from small pistols to huge automatic weapons), fighting, stabbing, chases, and explosions. Blood is mainly shown in the form of injuries, such as a slight bloody lip. One of the heroes is shot and seriously wounded and must be sent to the hospital.

Language

"F--k" is used once. "S--t" is used a few times. Other words used at least once include "p---y," "bitch," "son of a bitch," "damn," "bastard," "ass," "a--hole," "c--ksucker," "balls," "goddamn," "hell," and "idiot."

Social Behavior

Teamwork is a big deal here, and one character even remarks that her teammates are her "family." But otherwise there's a lot of senseless violence with no consequences. The main character decides to retire his team and recruit newer, younger members for a dangerous mission that could be suicide, which doesn't always feel right.

Consumerism

Quick glimpse of the HP logo on a laptop.

Drugs / Tobacco / Alcohol

In the previous films, Dolph Lundgren's character was shown to have an addiction problem. When he gets "fired," he's shown drinking from a flask a few times, indicating that he might be falling off the wagon. A character is shown drinking a beer at home. Characters celebrate with shots in a bar. Some characters smoke cigars.